Simple yet handsome, the Dell SE2419HR ($149.99) is a basic 24-inch monitor for business or home use. To keep its price down, it makes some sacrifices in resolution, port selection, and ergonomics, and its color coverage in our testing wasn’t stellar, but it’s a solid workaday display that should appeal to either consumers or businesses on a tight budget. (We’ve seen it discounted to well below $100.)
A Modest But Adequate Feature Set
The SE2419HR is an in-plane switching (IPS) panel, with a 1,920-by-1,080-pixel (1080p) native resolution at a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. It’s rated for a 1,000:1 contrast ratio.
Its resolution is typical of low-priced monitors. A 1080p 24-inch panel still has a respectable pixel density of 92 pixels per inch (ppi), which is fine for everyday or home use, as long as you’re not a photo enthusiast looking for a screen to edit on in pixel-precise fashion. As is typical of IPS displays, the SE2419HR’s viewing angles are wide (rated at 178 degrees vertical and horizontal), ensuring consistent colors even when your viewing posture may be far from straight-on.
Measuring 16.3 by 21.2 by 6 inches (HWD), the SE2419HR rests on a compact base. A shaft, containing a hole through which cables can be snaked, connects the base with the cabinet. The back of the cabinet is styled, with curved matte and glossy black regions. Also in back is a notch for a Kensington-style security cable lock, a useful feature for a small monitor if it will be used in a public location such as a library or a retail shop. In front, the bezels are matte black, with the top and side bezels just a quarter of an inch thick to maximize the screen area, which is 23.8 inches (measured on the diagonal).
As for ergonomics, the SE2419HR is limited to tilt control, lacking the ability to adjust for height, swivel, or pivot. The monitor can tilt up to 5 degrees toward the viewer and 21 degrees away. Tilt-only ergonomics is typical of budget monitors; fortunately, this 24-inch display is small and light enough to be easily turned by hand, or flipped over to access the downward-facing ports.
The SE2419HR has a refresh rate of 60Hz, standard among non-gaming and most productivity monitors. It includes support for AMD FreeSync adaptive sync technology, which can eliminate screen tearing. Dell offers a similar model, the SE2417HGX, with a 75Hz refresh rate. Likewise, the Philips 272E1CA is a FreeSync-enabled 27-inch budget monitor with a 75Hz refresh rate.
The SE2419HR has just two video inputs: one HDMI, and one VGA. VGA, a connection that supports analog video, was once ubiquitous on computers. It has since been superseded by DVI (itself fading), HDMI, and DisplayPort (including DisplayPort over a USB-C connection), but VGA ports are found on numerous older computers as well as some modern desktops. What the SE2419HR lacks in port quantity, it makes up for in their utility, with VGA for connecting to legacy computers, and HDMI—which supports digital video—for modern systems.
Most under-$200 displays, especially ones that have been around a few years—the SE2419HR was introduced in 2019—are similarly equipped. You’ll occasionally see monitors with DVI, DisplayPort, or even USB-C connectors (such as on the ViewSonic VX2485-mhu) in this under-$200 price range, but they are the exception.
On the monitor’s bottom right edge, next to the power button, are four small buttons for controlling the onscreen display (OSD). Dell’s OSD menu system is straightforward and intuitive, but it would be easier to navigate if the buttons were a bit larger.
Testing the SE2419HR: Bright Enough, Color-Wide Enough
I measured the SE2419HR’s brightness, contrast ratio, and color accuracy using Portrait Displays’ Calman 5 color calibration software, a Klein K10-A colorimeter, and a Murideo Six-G signal generator. In standard mode, its luminance came to 214 nits (candelas per meter squared), a bit below its rated 250-nit brightness but more than adequate for general-purpose use. I measured its contrast ratio at 982:1, just shy of its 1,000:1 rating. (Click here to see how we test monitors.)
Below is a color-coverage or chromaticity chart for the sRGB color space, generated when testing the SE2419HR in Standard mode. The area within the triangle represents all the colors that can be made by mixing the primary colors red, green, and blue.
The monitor covered 94.1% of sRGB—the standard color space used on the web and in many other applications. This is adequate for a budget monitor, if not overly impressive.
In addition to our formal testing, I also did some ad-hoc testing of text, video, and image quality. Our test video clips showed bright colors and reasonably good contrast in both bright and dark areas. Images from our photo suite also looked faithful, with no obvious color issues.
A Solid, Stay-in-Place Budget Monitor
The Dell SE2419HR’s appeal is that it is an able-enough 24-inch IPS monitor—good for either home or business use—that sells for a very aggressive price. Its shortcomings are ones that it shares with other budget monitors: modest resolution, a limited port selection, and ergonomic options limited to tilt adjustment.
This is not a prime panel if you are an avid, quick-twitch gamer, or a graphic artist. As alternatives, the otherwise similarly equipped but larger (27-inch) Philips 272E1CA is worth a look, and the ViewSonic VX2485-mhu will net you a USB-C port. But the SE2419HR is fine for everyday use and is even more economical than those options, especially if you’re looking for a cheap-and-cheerful way to score twin 24-inch displays for as little money as possible in a home or small office you’re forced to equip.
